YouTube Tests New ‘Hype’ Feature to Boost Visibility for Smaller Creators
YouTube has introduced a new feature under testing called “Hype,” designed to enhance the visibility for videos by small creators on its platform. The feature allows viewers to ‘Hype’ videos, potentially increasing their prominence among other content within a dedicated “Explore” section.
The “Hype” functionality is being tested to help smaller content creators, specifically those with fewer than 500,000 subscribers, gain exposure and support from the community. Unlike YouTube’s traditional Like and Share options, “Hype” is aimed at promoting recent content, applicable only to videos published within the last seven days.
According to YouTube, this feature does not directly influence the platform’s search and discovery algorithms but focuses on a separate segment where hyped videos are showcased. This segment is distinct from the regular Trending feed and is likely integrated into the Home feed, under a special Explore section designed to highlight these videos.
Currently, the testing of the “Hype” feature is limited to a few countries, including Brazil, Taiwan, and Turkey, involving a select group of YouTube Partner Program content creators. This initiative seeks to provide smaller creators with a platform to be discovered by new audiences through enhanced community interaction.
There is speculation about whether the “Hype” action might be a paid feature similar to YouTube’s Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks, which also support creators financially while boosting their content’s reach. However, details on whether “Hype” involves monetary transactions remain unclear as YouTube has not yet confirmed these aspects.
The introduction of “Hype” is part of YouTube’s ongoing efforts to support diverse creator communities and ensure that smaller creators can also achieve visibility in the increasingly competitive digital content space.
